Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank is the latest person to speak out against a four-game preseason in the NFL.
Blank told ESPN Falcons reporter Vaughn McClure that he does not see a need for a four-game preseason. He feels many others in the NFL world agree.
“I think four [games] is not necessary. We need some preseason games for talent evaluation, for sure, with our first-and-second-year players and developmental players; players who are free-agents coming into our scheme. The vets need some of that, but not a whole lot of it. So, I think we can do with less preseason games. I think the world of the NFL would be happier place, from all perspectives,” Blank told McClure.
NFL owners have been trying to increase to an 18-game regular season for years. Cutting down the preseason to two games would be the easiest way to accomplish that.
From an owner’s perspective, attendance for preseason games is weak, while each regular season game brings in millions thanks to TV and game-day revenue. Of course they’d want to make the switch in the interest of making money.
But while eliminating a preseason game or two may help teams avoid injuries, I have long believed adding in extra regular season games would have an adverse effect. The seasons are already long and grueling, with players suffering more and more injuries. Adding games could have a multiplying effect on injuries. The regular season also holds great significance because there are so few games. In some cases the concepts of “quality over quantity” and “less is more” apply. This is one of those cases.
